Textbooks and the Jihadi mindset

[Guest]

A report prepared by the Centre for Information and Research (CIR) at SZABIST, Karachi, is quite an eye-opener. Intrigued by the growth of intolerance and violence in a society which had at one time been home to peace-loving sufis, CIR undertook to investigate the factors which have spawned the "jihadi" mindset in the people - to use its director's words. An evaluation of the social studies and Pakistan studies textbooks proved to be a revealing exercise. It is plain that from a very early age children are virtually indoctrinated in what has been claimed to be the ideology of Pakistan. <p>Without going into a discussion on what this is supposed to be, one can discern a pronounced bias in the textbooks that are being taught. Thus, the students are told that the cause of the downfall of Muslim <br>power was the fading of the spirit of jihad. The young minds are in a very subtle manner also filled with prejudice against the non-<br>Muslims, specially the Hindus in India, against whom, by implication, jihad is to be waged. Regrettably, no effort is made at all to instil in the readers tolerance and respect for other faiths. In the same <br>vein, the textbooks manifest a strong bias against pluralism. Hence the country's cultural diversity is not projected as a positive phenomenon. Equally disturbing is the anti-democratic and pro-authoritarian thrust in the contents of the books our children are studying in schools and colleges. <p>All this is besides the factual mistakes that proliferate in the textbooks. By distorting facts, a writer can easily give a twist to events to prove the point of view he wishes to project and reinforce. <br>When exposed continuously to such negative messages, specially in the formative years of life, it is inevitable that the youth of our country grow up believing that all non-Muslims are the enemies of Islam and to survive we must take up arms against them. Similarly, by instilling in the minds of the students that India is the enemy number one of Pakistan, our textbooks make it difficult for the youth to think rationally about the imperatives of India-Pakistan relations. <p>The textbooks' failure to instil tolerance and acceptance of plurality in the students has led to violence in our society. On the <br>one hand, the reader is taught unwavering discipline and unquestioning acquiescence to authority. On the other hand, he doesn't learn the basic sociological fact that cultural and linguistic diversity enriches a society and a country. To live with people from heterogeneous backgrounds, it is important that every individual recognizes and respects the basic right of the other to <br>his own cultural identity. This respect forms the underpinning of a democratic society in which 'live and let live' should be the norm and a participatory method should be adopted to allow representation <br>to all. <p>Unfortunately, our textbooks are sadly lacking in this respect. Although textbooks are periodically revised - every major change of regime ushers in a process of revamping the textbooks - no consideration is given to the basic approach. Attention is invariably focused on the political contents, the idea being to villify the <br>ousted government and lionize the regime in office. The more immediate need is to revise the textbooks with the idea of making <br>them a medium of imparting human rights education, tolerance, a breadth of vision and respect for human beings, be they men or women. Some NGOs have been doing a commendable job in this field. HREP, <br>Simorgh, the Book Group and others have produced books which are designed to teach students humanism and libertarian values. One hopes the government will look into this matter as it embarks on its programme to reform the education sector. <p>SOURCE:<br>DAWN 12 February 2002 Tuesday 28 Ziqa'ad 1422