Comments (29)

Experience on the ground says that supporting legitimate madrassas is the right approach. I come to this view as a career U.S. military officer having spent a year in Afghanistan at the NATO HQ as a civil-military cooperation liaison officer supporting, among other things, Minister Atmar's school security initiative.
Critics of madrassa education founder upon many points, including separation of church and state. The Western university system (including its name - derived from Latin "only truth") is strongly rooted in Christian tradition, and at least since the early 20th century generally appears to have shed its founding Christian constraints. Just as a Church-centered education was better than no education in late medeval Europe, it's better to get children into classrooms and argue about the doctrine underlying those classrooms after effectively combatting illiteracy.
Most outside critics just don't get how hard life is in Afghanistan and don't understand that choices are usually a matter of 'least worst' rather than 'best'. Given a choice between a Western-style school system which is culturally suspect to a significant fraction of Afghan parents and a madrassa system which would be enthusiastically embraced, it seems a no-brainer to me to support a 'legitimate' madrassa system based upon Islamic scholarly traditions. The goal is help the Afghans stand on their own feet after 30 years of the world's disputes being fought out in their backyard, not to make the (highly meritorious) Afghan culture mirror the West's!
However, for now, the real choice offered all too many Afghan parents is to send their sons to madrassas in Pakistan for a poor Koranic education in minimally tolerable circumstances, or to send them to no or only sporadic instruction in local state-run schools. The (mostly Wahab) radicals largely seized a large share of the education market for Afghan boys by being smart enough to be there - very similar to how Hamas and Hizbollah legitimatized themselves in Palestine and Lebanon by being there to provide some level of services when the 'normal' providers of those services were too broken to function. As regards madrassa education as it currently is amongst the many marginal madrassas along the Paki frontier, the general situation sickens most Afghan parents - very few Afghans buy the Wahabi line, but will expose their kids to it for the sake of literacy. If Afghan parents had a decent - either Western-style or madrassa - alternative, the many marginal madrassas - Wahab radicalization mills and otherwise - along the Paki frontier would quickly find themselves without students.
Both Western-style and madrassa-style instruction could be very very successful in Afghanistan. Both are making rapid (but not rapid enough) progress. Progress in either style of providing eduction is a good thing, and deserves outside support. Sadly, most of the attacks upon the madrassa system stated in this blog are based neither upon in-country experience nor understanding of Afghanistan.

This is brilliant. The way to combat radical Islam is not to stigmatize all Islam, but support moderate Islam. Don't ask a man to abandon his religion; ask him to consider it in a positive way.

Exhibit A on why the Muslim-haters on this board and elsewhere are hurting America.

Muslims need to take back their families, their madrases, their religion and their culture. They must start with their children who are being poisoned by the radicals. Then they must go to their schools and mosques and take them back. The US can provide help and backup with police here and soldiers in Muslim countries. But just like the southern USA had to turn on the KKK before the FBI could suppress it, Muslims will have to turn on the radicals before anyone can help them.

I am greatly encouraged after reading about this new style of madrassa and I wish Ayatollah Asif Mohseini peace and blessings as he endeavors to remake Islamic education. This attempt to address the damage done by the Saudi funded militant Sunni madrassas is the first step in melding the wonders of the modern world with the timeless truths of the Koran. I know many are sketical and hateful toward Islam but I must remind them that atrocities and great suffering have been perpetrated in the name of all 3 monotheistic faiths (peoples of the book).

Let us not judge the whole of Islam by the actions of those lost from Islam just as we do not ascribe the hatred and bigotry espoused by some in the Judeo-christian community to the whole of the Chrisitian community. I, for one whole heartedly support Ayatollah Asif Mohseini and I pray he is successful in bringing a new generation of Islam to the world and the world to a new generation of Muslims.

It is refreshing to see that some in Islam are addressing the core problems facing the Muslim faith. For too long the radical Sunni interppretation of the Koran as presented in Saudi funded madrassas has brought death, destruction, hatred and dishonor to the Muslim community. It is my sincere wish that this school be the first of many that bring the wonders of the modern world and the timeless teachings of the Koran together in an effort to promote a new understanding between people, nations and religions. For just as many in Christianity use the doctrine for personal gain, persecution and plunder so too have many in the Muslim world used the sacred text to nefarious ends.

I bid the Ayatollah Asif Mohseini God's speed in his endeavor and I offer a prayer of thjanks for his efforts.

This entire debate seems to miss a fundamental and very central point. Educational systems, whether madrassas or your local public high school, consistently fail to teach the world's children the (fairly simple) skill of differentiating between knowledge and belief.

With this basic skill in hand, plus a few historical facts, one quickly reaches the conclusion that it is immoral to force your belief upon another.

MC wrote: “....How can some people believe 1.5 billion HUMAN BEINGS can be evil and follow an evil, monstrous, atrocious, intolerant religion? Think about it!”
^^^^^^^^^^^

The question is: How can anyone be religious at all and not be a bigot? If a person follows a religion but he is tolerant of others who follow different religions then he is a heretic. All religions mandate intolerance from their followers.

The rules for muslims are simple. They are forbidden to have non-believers as their friends or to believe anything that they might say. That was the same rule for the Israelites under Moses and for the Jews under Jesus. Paul told Christians not to associate with others who called themselves believers but who were evil. And neither God, Jesus, or Allah will tolerate non-believers on Judgment Day.

It's just like the West . . . in the Middle Ages. Muslims are a very backward people. Even compared to us imperfect Westerners. I alternatively loathe and pity them.

What fascinates me is how certain US-hating Westerners defend Islam and accuse the US and the West of failing to understand. But these same whiners have nothing but contempt for our own relatively mild religious freaks from your basic Evangelical to your hardcore snakehandler. Yet even snakehandlers in the West Virginia hills seem tame in comparison to most of the Muslim devout. Certainly the snakies show more tolerance and less readiness to spill blood.

It makes good reading. But by the way I am not sure Jack was able to visit madrasas in India. I would like him to visit on the madrasas in India's Kolkata city in West Bengal. Here sciences, maths, and all modern subjects are part of the curriculam. And behold last year the student who secured first rank in senior seconday examination in the sate came from one of such madrasa.
Madrasas mean where education is imparted. But alas in Pakistan and Afghanistan they are teaching what is just opposed to what is basic teaching of Islam, rational thninking.

Maybe the US should should make a big show out of providing money and other support to all the madrassas. Once they are seen to have the backing of the US government, people will denigrate and shun them, maybe even burn a few down.

How can some people believe 1.5 billion HUMAN BEINGS can be evil and follow an evil, monstrous, atrocious, intolerant religion? Think about it!
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
I recall 80 million Germans backing Hitler. They were not all bad but they did not prevent bad things from happening. I am sure that 99% of Muslims are good also but I don't see them fighting the war on Islamic extremism and terror. When will Islam use its big theological guns to obliterate terror? And considering that most Muslims live in Islamic nations it should be the priority of these governments to clean up A.Q. or any extremism.
This is not happening and so it is natural for anyone to assume that this is a problem with Islam at its core.
We are not stupid!

JEFF: wrote
the supposed goals of the U.S. government in international relations- spreading democracy and religious freedom.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Part of "taking back America" is dismantling the wall of separation of Church and state so we can use the parts to build a wall around America to keep "others" out.
The clash of civilization is not between cultures or religion but between secularism and religion. America is officially secular yet struggles with the cancer of theocracy. Most Islamic nations have succumbed to this cancer and even the talk of allowing Sharia to seep into England is happening.
Tolerance of others can only happen if it is mutual thus the establishment of religion can only happen if EVERYONE agrees. Clearly this is not going to happen so the only workable solution is our First Amendment (US Constitution).

WGRAVES:
Wanna know what they are teaching now? There are 1.5 billion Muslims in the world! I am one of them. We are taught, like followers of any religion, to be steadfast and firm in our own religion, but at the same time, to be tolerant of others'. I am sorry for 9/11, I am sorry for the suicide bombings, I am sorry for the innocent lives taken by terrorists. I condemn those acts. So do 1.5 billion (minus maybe a few thousand) other Muslims. The question is how many Rabbis and Pastors and Sadus are sorry for the hundreds of thousands of innocent Muslim lives taken in Palestin, Iraq and India? Of the 50+ Muslims countires all but Iran, Syria (and perhaps Sudan) are US and European allies. Of the non-Muslim countries N. Korea, China, Cuba, Venezuela, Russia, Zimbabwe and others in Africa and South America are NOT US or European allies. Only the biased and the fanatical will still say it's the Muslims' fault and it's Islam's fault. No. It's NOT Islam's fault. Nor is it Christianity's, Judaism's, Hinduism's or Bhuddism's fault for that matter. It's the extremists' fault. Extremists within governments and without. Extremists wearing turbans and sporting beards or wearing necktie or bow-tie with clean-shaven faces. Extremists living in Caves or in mansions. Extremists riding donkeys or private jets. They come in all colors, all languages, all nationalities, all religions. How come some people don't understand this simple FACT? How can some people believe 1.5 billion HUMAN BEINGS can be evil and follow an evil, monstrous, atrocious, intolerant religion? Think about it!

Love and piece can only be achived by toleration and embracing, education of all cultures!
same God who created all same God spoke all different times to different people why don't we all learn and accept everything, we already know the garbage, like killing ,lying,stealing,lust greed,pride,if we can all learn to LOve one other we could cure all the ills of this universe!
Its Love stupit that simple!
Love You All!

I have studied the classical forms of most of the worlds major religions, in the early forms of most of them, they had many people who practiced peace and justice, inner contemplation and warfare of the soul and spirit. Their focus was on the inner man and not warfare against other cultures and religions.
Now, with the advent of many forms of communication that were not even envisioned, the radical and extremist elements of most religions have a soapbox with which to trumpet their hate-filled and obscene visions of the "other" and the future. In the world today, we the moderate and reformed elements of society, must take a stand against the "fundamentalist" elements of those faiths that have an element of fear and supremacy built into them.
How are we to do this? To build a society based upon trust and mutual understanding, we must first learn that not all those involved in "other" religions are antithetical to the premises in our faiths. All faiths are seeking to find inner peace and harmony with our neighbours. Given the enormity of the task, we must start with those in our neighbourhoods and towns, seeking out those who we would not normally associate with and looking for common ground with which to build on.
After this, we must then reach out to the larger world, and make the same efforts, learning about those who are different and giving voice to the "one" in each of us, who seek the truth. We, do not have a handle on the truth, in other faiths and religions, there are kernels of the truth and we must work to find in each person, the light of G-d. If we do not sectarian violence and strife, will finally engulf the US and the end of our nation as we know it will be at hand. Work for and promote harmony and understanding between those of differing faiths and no faith, and we will see the flowering of a society that will be the envy of the world. As for the madrassas that are currently being built in Afghanistan, many have complained about the lack of an overarching education that includes math, science and critical thinking. Yet when, the USAID gives funds to build those facilities which will promote and work for an open and honest education about the world, we again criticize those who would run these facilities for including religion and learning about their faith. We, cannot have it both ways, if we (Americans) want to overcome the extremist elements of Islam, we must trust those who among the leadership and work with them to expose the fundamentalist regimes for what they are: tyrannical and dictatorial forms of government who do not care about their citizens, but care about only one thing, POWER and control of thoughts and hearts. So, that when called upon to sacrifice their lives, for the good of the cause, the people under their control will go willingly and without hesitation. Stand up and be counted, moderate and reformed voices of the people, show that we are and will be the ones who have the last word.

First: The expansion and "modernization" of madrases is not as "new" as the article implies. Madrases has been undergoing transformations ever since 1800s through the Ottoman empire rule in the reign of Mohammad Ali who tried to centralize the network of Madrasas and combine religious with scientific teaching. Also Al-Azhar University in Egypt is an example of turning a madrasa into a bureaucratic university.
Second: Why is it so easy to generalize when it comes to Islam? The Virginia Tech shooter's letters were all religious and filled with allegiances to "Jesus" and nobody condemned religion because logic says that extreme interpretation of religion will always be present. if faith based learning is a threat, then religious home schooling in the US should pose the same threat of Madrassas in Afghanistan and Pakistan

the politics invloving a contrast with west then to link it with Islamic thought is serious press propoganda to carry forward the hidden and unrealistic political designs.religions accross the globe in principle have one and common goal to preach and follow:peace; prosperity coupled with moral values.regerettablly; no such values are availble with whatever; system of governments in the world.during cold war islam remained bait for american politics and present den of terrorisim now called in afganistan is the left over residue of the result of that cold war and previousely a used power against russia.the western propoganda is so deep to club everything and anything with islam. if islam needs reformation what about bosnia where not less than million muslims were killed much less to say by state machinary apprantly proffessing christian faith.? the criminal aspect of politics is always far way from religions including islam.moerdnising the madrasa is encourging if done without any political consideration.thanks.

Well, we don't know for sure what happened to the great library at Alexandria, although Bernard Lewis hypothesizes that Saladin had it destroyed. But we for sure know what happened to the Buddhas of Bamiyan. The Taliban destroyed them. So much for multicultural respect by the current crop of Islamists. I don't much care what they respected six hundred years ago. I want to know what they're teaching now so I can determine whether or not my children are in danger.

Rober Stuckey writes "indication of the anti-Muslim bias and deep- seated suspicions of Americans who are generally ignorant of the actual content of the Q'uran". Mr. Stuckey is the one who is ignorant. He should visit India's temples to see the destruction wrought by Islamic armies. The destruction is not merely collateral damage due to wars between Hindus and Muslims, but a focused targeted destruction of Hindu, Buddhist, and other places of worship. It is a vast portrait of hatred, intolerance, and injustice. Look out for the day when Europe's magnificent cathedrals face similar acts of destruction by followers of Islam.

Thanks Jack,
I'm becoming a big fan of your blog. You're onto something big here by paying attention to Shias in Afghanistan. Shias can possibly pull off madrassa reform -- the reason: they're insulated from Saudi money that being used all over the world to Wahhibize Sunni Islam (including any attempt at reform of Sunni madrassas). It's sad that this guy is getting so much resistance from the U.S. I suspect much of it originates within the U.S. State Department. Would funding this guy be risky for the U.S.? Of course. But risk can never be eliminated, only managed. Keep up the good work.

please WP, correct the caption of the picture as suggested by NURI YALSIN.

Picture caption: Should be Khatam-ul Anbia, not Andia.

Meaning 'the last of the prophets.'

RS, while Islam may have been a progressive religion teaching tolerance and valuing education up until the 16th century or so, the reality is that for a significant portion of it's leasdership, that is no longer the case.

The Taliban as the govenrment of Afghanistan and as insurgents now, the radical teachings and non-secular religious only schools listed in the article, etc, etc, say that the old ideal of progressivism and learning is dead for a significant minority, if not majority, of the followers.

The question for everyone is not only how to change the radical, narrow view point, but how to regain the values lost those many years ago.

The comments posted thus far are a clear indication of the anti-Muslim bias and deep- seated suspicions of Americans who are generally ignorant of the actual content of the Q'uran, or of the global history of Islam (to which the West owes incalculable debts). Most Westerners (and many Muslims) are unaware that our knowledge of the Greek Philosophers, the navigational tools that allowed the exploration of the Western Hemisphere, the engineering that achieved new heights in the Gothic Cathedrals of Europe- and so much more- were fomented by Muslim contributions to the arts and sciences.The Muslims preserved classics lost in the sack of Rome. They invented the astrolabe indispensable to the Age of Nevegation, and the algebra that encouraged new feats of engineering. Their poetry inspired the revival of Hebrew as a literary language in Medieval Spain. The philsopher-physician Avicenna is still revered in the annals of Western Medicine. The original appeal of Islam was due to its largely color, class and gender blind appeal- as was the case for both Christianity and Buddhism in earlier centuries. No one has a monopoly on fanaticism- and the dynamic of fundamentalism as a fear-driven response to rapid change, is known in virtually all religious traditions to some degree. In most traditions, mercifully, that fanatical element remains on the outer fringes of its membership,as change is gradually absorbed into long standing traditions that recognize faith as a dynamic, rather than static phenomenon that must adapt to new circumstances. Sadly, however, "fundamentalism" misses the real fundamentals of the faiths' founding masters- compassion and inclusiveness. The extremists are often heavily publicized by those with an agenda to promote- a them-against-us mentality that denies reality and frustrates positive resolution. It is time we deconstruct this dynamic and address the fears- real or imagined- more constuctively, rather than feeding them with our knee-jerk responses and the peddling of conventional prejuidices.

Regarding the "trillion dollar military budget," take away 75% and it's still the biggest in the world, bar none, but bears little relationship to preventing terror. A supercarrier does not deter a suicide bomber or a suitcase nuke. Heck, we cannot even find Osama. Oh, sorry, I forgot: it was Saddam that "done did" 9/11. Right?

The Koranic component of the education is mainly rote memorization of Scriptural verses, Arabic language instruction, and indoctrination in pan-Islamism. Of course, Islam is a religion of peace and the 9/11 perpetrators were (the students will all learn) could not have been Muslims, but probably the same "Zionist forces" who blow up all the mosques in Iraq. Sayyid Qtub will be the required reading. USAID might contribute textbooks, but the Mullahs will discard them as "harram". Any doubters or apostates will be sent on extended playground assignment to learn how to dodge hurled rocks.

A near trillion dollar military budget. Should be protection enough. No guarantees though.

Well, maybe..... But, what if the 50% Koranic part of the new education model still includes hating all other religions and preaching Jihad? The US will have shot itself in the foot!

What protections do we have to prevent that from happening?

""It’s a sweeping co-ed campus, with lecture halls, science labs, and internet cafés. When the madrassa opens fully this year, the curriculum will consist of half Islamic study, half science, math and computer classes. ""

So now - instead of just teaching hate for all infidels......they will low the math & science to teach them how to make bombs at US taxpayer expense...Nice!

What's wrong with a faith-based education? Plenty, when funded by U.S. tax dollars. First, we don't believe in funding such education in the U.S. for obvious reasons - so why would it be less subversive of tolerance and democracy in other countries? Second, funding faith-based educations in Madrassas will encourage the ethnocentric viewpoints of many people in the countries where the schools are located- that is counterproductive to the supposed goals of the U.S. government in international relations- spreading democracy and religious freedom.

The alternative, to answer the question posed at the end of the above essay, is secular education, or at least education that exposes the students to different worldviews and religious beliefs- such a sytem is already in place in Afghanistan, although it is under assault and shrinking.